Long Time Coming
by YulianaHenderson
Summary: "Since they had gotten together, he tried to be more civilized, tried to keep other people's feelings in mind when he talked, but it didn't always go well. Although he was a gentleman with her, with some traces of his teasing self in there, with others he could still be an asshole." Established Jisbon, VERY fluffy. Rated K plus, although there's a bit of bad language in there.


**A/N: Hey you guuuys! I wrote this story back in August and had completely forgotten about it since then, due to me focusing more on Little Ivy, but then suddenly I remembered it and I was anxious to share it with you guys!**

 **So actually this story was inspired by this famous dude in The Netherlands who makes YouTube videos helping people, mostly teens and young adults, who are angry at corporations or whatever because they still need to get their paycheck, or because the company was just a rightful douche. So this dude shows up at this other dude's office, for some reason enrages him, and then the office dude punches him in the face, causing the famous dude to break his jaw (I would like to clarify that the dude is, albeit funny and hilarious at most times, also a big douche). It was hilarious at the time, but he will be suffering from the injury for at the least the remainder of the year, so that's less fun. But it is what ultimately caused me to write this story, and the beginning was inspired by that situation, but 75% of this story just sort of happened. Please enjoy, even though it's really fluffy.**

 **Disclaimer: Nothing is mine.**

* * *

 _ **'Long Time Coming'**_

Since they had gotten together, he tried to be more civilized, tried to keep other people's feelings in mind when he talked, but it didn't always go well. Although he was a gentleman with her, with some traces of his teasing self in there, with others he could still be an asshole. It wasn't rare that she had to bail him out of a conversation that was threatening to turn sour. Even if she tried to keep herself out of his drama, it was often visible that their coworkers didn't always know how to deal with him - only Cho knew how to treat him, which was often like a child, because admittedly, that was usually how Jane behaved, too.

Jane had admitted that he didn't really want to go back to work at the FBI, but she had made him realize that they needed all the financial reserves that they could get. He was going to terminate his contract with the FBI, so as a consequence, they wouldn't release his money and property. Not that there was a lot left, most had disappeared as tax money, but it left them with little money to build their dream home and finance their little one, too.

Their little one. Her hand instinctively went to her slightly swollen belly, getting an involuntary smile on her lips. She still couldn't believe that she was pregnant. She had given up that wish entirely when it was clear to her that she would probably stay alone for the rest of her life. Even when she had started sleeping with Jane, she had not expected that her chances were big, so they had hardly thought about protection. She had only gone to the doctor's office to check if she didn't have anything from her short fling with Marcus Pike, but when she had been cleared, she and Jane had basically never used protection again. She shouldn't have been surprised that she was pregnant, but it did surprise her, yet in the positive sense of the word.

An argument turning heated pulled her out of her thoughts, and she focused on her husband again, who was obviously annoying the poor man standing in front of him.

"Agent Lisbon, control your man!" he exclaimed, visibly horrified that she just stood there and didn't do anything to prevent Jane from offending someone.

"He's not my responsibility," she stated, but she still crossed eyes with Jane, telling him to stop. She didn't have to do it for her own sake anymore, which was a relief, but she knew that Cho would get a tough afternoon if Jane continued this behavior.

His eyes told her that he wouldn't stop, so she just shook her head and figuratively pulled off her hands from the situation. If he would be punched, it was his own fault now.

"To be honest," Jane started, and Lisbon had a feeling that this wouldn't go right, "you had it coming."

Lisbon sighed, looked away, but immediately turned back her head when she heard a pained shout which sounded like it came from Jane. She saw him falling to the floor, clutching his face, and she could see the man's arm pull back, while also clutching his fist.

She sighed. Poor Cho.

"I really wish you hadn't done that." Lisbon stepped towards the two, pulling the man's arms behind his back and cuffing him. "That applies to both of you."

She escorted the man to their car, yet when she returned to Jane, he was still on the floor, his hands still on his face. She became instantly worried.

"Are you okay?" she asked him, trying desperately to balance herself while she crouch down beside him. Her hand touched his upper arm, and he flinched. When he turned his head towards her, she saw there were tears in his eyes. He pointed to his jaw, not saying anything.

"Dammit, Jane. Why can't you just take a hint?" She brushed his cheeks, pushing away his protesting hands, to check for any visible deformations. He flinched away from her hands multiple times, and eventually she made him look at her. "You got yourself in this mess. I'm checking your injuries. You have to face the consequences of your actions."

She called Cho to explain the unfortunate situation.

"Ten plus years of being an asshole finally caught up with Jane."

"What did he do?"

"Offended Mr. Moore and got punched in the face. It's not just drama this time, however. I think he might have dislocated his jaw."

"Damn. Did you arrest Mr. Moore?"

"Yep. I will drop him off at the station and then go to the hospital to have Jane checked out."

"Alright. I will have someone await Mr. Moore then."

~...~

She sat in the waiting room with Jane, and he had never been so quiet before. She felt sorry for him, even though she knew it was his own fault. She had gotten him a cup of water, which he drank with a lot of pain on his face. He looked at her, tears still in his eyes, and she dropped all of her anger in that moment, her motherly instincts setting in, and she brushed his hair out of his face, before holding onto his hand.

He really was in pain, she could tell. He rarely cried when he was in physical pain, most of his pain caused by his demons. Anyway, he always tried to steer away from any possible physical pain from being inflicted upon him. He wasn't really a hero, avoiding risky situations, but still he was _her_ hero.

He acted tough in front of the doctor, not at all like the little boy that he had shown when they had been alone in the car. She felt proud, however that he knew he could always be himself with her, and that he didn't need to be someone he wasn't.

He had a broken jaw, so he needed surgery to fix it, four pins in his jaw to keep it in place and weeks if not months of physical therapy to learn how to live with this injury, because the doctor had warned him that he could have lasting pain and limited movement.

She hadn't expected their day to go like this, but honestly, it had been a long time coming. It was a miracle that he didn't have further injuries over the past decade.

She stayed with him at every step, being the first face he saw when he woke after his surgery. Only when he had had enough pain killers did he say something.

"I'm quitting," he whispered. Her head was on the bed beside his hips, and she kissed his hand from time to time. She chuckled, looking up at him, but found he was serious. "The job has never made me happy. I'll find another way to earn money. I know this is my own fault, but offending annoying bigwigs was… the only thing that brought a little satisfaction to the job. If I can't do that… then what's the point? So I'm quitting."

She kissed his fingers. "Okay."

"And I'm sorry."

She shook her head. "I hope you learned a lesson. Sometimes, actions have consequences."

But she knew that he already knew, and she regretted bringing it up. He closed his eyes and leaned back.

"I know," he whispered. "I almost lost you by pushing you into… his arms."

It was a different situation than she was thinking of, but it was telling to her that it was the first one that came to his mind.

She shook her head. "Let's not discuss that now. You need to rest. Is there anything you want?"

"A kiss would be nice."

She sat up straight, then stood.

"Well, you can't have everything."

"Please? Your kisses are better than any painkiller out there."

She rolled her eyes, but sat on the side of his bed eventually.

"Fine. But if your jaw is hurting, I will not be held responsible."

She leaned in and kissed him, feeling his hand cover her belly lovingly, then her cheek. He smiled, flinched but pulled her closer, so she was lying beside him.

"Will you stay with me?"

"I can't, Jane. I'm sure the staff will remove me."

"Just live a little. You can be a little reckless once in awhile."

"By being escorted out of the hospital by security?"

"It would give me something entertaining to look at. My pregnant wife, dragged off… perhaps it's even a little sexy."

She huffed but was sort of amused by his words, too. She couldn't deny that she was flattered by his words - even with her swollen belly, basically everything swollen, he still found her beautiful and sexy.

"You have a lot of funny talk for someone who broke their jaw."

"Humor is what keeps me afloat, Lisbon. It makes the world go round."

She rolled her eyes and settled into his good side, where she wouldn't be leaning against the side of his face that was horribly swollen.

"You're a funny guy, Patrick Jane."

His arm found its way around her waist easily, his hand finally resting against her belly. She knew this talk was most likely a distraction from his pain until the painkillers started working, but she liked him like this, funny and a bit cuddly.

"As long as you know that I'm _your_ funny guy."

~...~

All funny stuff was over when he realized that he couldn't eat nor talk as they had taped his jaw shut to promote healing. They had discovered he made too many movements with his jaw, so they had used a ton of bandages to keep him from opening his mouth. Well, his lips he could move, but he couldn't move his jaw, which made talking practically impossible. He looked miserable, she had to admit.

Lisbon had bought him a notebook in which he could write all his thoughts, yet it was _Ariel_ themed. He had glared at her, grabbed the matching pen and had started writing.

 _Ha ha._

"Ariel couldn't say anything, either, so I thought that it was only fitting."

 _She didn't have a voice._

"It was very lucrative."

He pointed to his first words written there. She smiled and rolled her eyes.

"What happened to 'humor makes the world go round'?"

 _That was before they basically glued my mouth shut._

"You wouldn't stop talking. It's for your own good."

He obviously didn't agree, but he didn't write anything else. She brushed his cheek, running a hand through his hair.

"Are you hungry?"

He nodded. He wrote something down.

 _I need a hug._

She couldn't deny him that, but she still grabbed some of his food and put it on the side table. You couldn't really call it food, he had to eat through a straw, but it was all he was allowed right now.

She kissed his good cheek, running yet another hand through his hair, and settled against his side once again. She handed him his drinkable sandwich, which he gratefully took.

"I didn't know I would have to care for you like this at such a young age."

He shrugged. Since he was holding his bottle, he couldn't write anything down.

"I'm sorry if I make jokes you don't like. I didn't mean to hurt you."

He shook his head. One of his hands came up to brush her cheek. She took that as a sign that he was trying to tell her she wasn't hurting him.

"All jokes aside, though, I wouldn't mind growing old and gray in a retirement home with you."

The corners of his lips tilted upwards, and she chuckled, the sight quite hilarious.

"We will look back at these weeks in a couple of years and laugh our asses off."

He simply took a few sips of his sandwich, then put the bottle on the table, replacing it with his notebook. He started scribbling.

 _I love you._

She melted, her heart fluttering, and she would have had weak knees if she would have been standing. For some reason, seeing the words written down felt different yet oddly satisfying.

 _You didn't hurt me. I hurt me. I'm sorry you have to feed me like a little boy. I promise I won't be so stupid again._

She smiled, but still sighed. He had promised that before and it had never stood for long. She grabbed his hand and put it on her belly.

"As long as you won't end up too badly injured. I don't want our child to grow up without a father."

He nodded. He put the notebook on her belly so he could write something.

 _The same applies to you._

"I agree. I… will give up my guns. I'm surprised I didn't do it sooner. I don't want our child to grow up with them… and I feel like I might attract more risks when I carry one. And anyway… I can't run properly with this little one in the way."

He was writing something again.

 _Can you tell our little one how much I love him?_

She whispered words of love to her belly, his hand accompanying her voice, and she felt so happy to be with him, to have this kind of life, so comfortable and loved. Even if he was injured and totally not alright, he still made sure that she was loved, like she did for him.

His hand stopped moving and she looked at his face, not surprised that he was asleep. She kissed his cheek, his lips, made sure he was comfortable, before scribbling something down in his notebook.

 _I love you, too, my sweet Patrick Jane._

"He's tough, this one." Lisbon turned around and found a nurse entering the room. "We might have to give him sedatives. He does have to sleep to speed along the healing process."

Lisbon smiled and shook her head.

"He'll generally only sleep when I'm around." She hoped the nurse wouldn't ask questions. Lisbon really didn't want to share their story with her.

"We don't usually let families stay with our patients."

"I understand."

The nurse, whose badge read Sophie, walked over to Jane to no doubt run some checks. She noticed the notebook and actually laughed.

"That's hilarious."

Lisbon chuckled and stood on the other side of the bed, her fingers lightly touching Jane's hand.

"Mrs. Jane, I'm okay with you staying here. But we won't be your mom. You have to listen to your own body, especially with that little baby there."

Lisbon nodded.

"Thank you."

"You take care."

Lisbon returned her attention to Jane. She knew it wasn't necessary, but she wanted to keep watch over him, to protect him maybe, but from what she didn't know. They were safe, except for his stupid actions sometimes, one of which had caused him to be in this situation - but otherwise, they were safe. No serial killer hunting them down, no angry psychopath ruining their life.

She had been protecting him for over a decade. Now was not the time to stop doing it. And she loved doing it, even if she really didn't need to.

* * *

 **A/N: It got fluffy again and I didn't mean for it to happen, but it happened so yeah. Let me know what your thoughts are, please!**

 **I have a BIG story almost finished, inspired by this Dutch movie I saw, also back in August. It's AU, like most my stories are these days, and it's quite dark at times, but I hope you will like it anyway when I post it!**


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